A big fan of the game of baseball itself, who just happens to have no favorite team.

Main menu

Post navigation

My Vote for National League Rookie of the Year

This is the fourth and final blog post in a series of blogs that I’ve been publishing since Tuesday; all of which have focused on who I feel should win the three major awards of Most Valuable Player (MVP), Cy Young and Rookie of the Year (ROY). (If you haven’t read my posts on who I think should win the AL MVP, NL MVP, AL Cy Young and NL Cy Young, go ahead and check those out now.)

Despite the title, this post isn’t limited to who I feel most deserves the National League Rookie of the Year, as it also includes my pick for the American League portion. I didn’t include AL ROY in the title for two reasons: a) it would’ve make the title too long, and b) there’s really nothing to discuss when it comes to who most deserves the award. It’s Mike Trout, hands down.

The fact that Trout lead all American League rookies in every conceivable category is mind boggling, but what’s really incredible is that Trout was able to produce numbers that no other rookie in the history of the game has been able to. Which is why there’s no debate when it comes to this particular award. The 2012 American League Rookie of the Year will go to Mike Trout.

Moving on to the National League Rookie of the Year; where there’s a bit of a debate as to who should win.

Some say it should be Bryce Harper who wins the award, while others make the case for Todd Frazier. What’s my opinion on who should win? I’m glad you asked. Here are my thoughts on who most deserves the award, starting with Todd Frazier:

Todd Frazier came in as a replacement for the injured Joey Votto, and really impressed me with what he was able to do. Posting a .273 batting average, with 19 home runs and 67 RBI’s, Frazier was able to help out the Cincinnati Reds in a big way during what would have otherwise been a precarious situation without their superstar Votto.

While I’m not calling Frazier a superstar by any means, he was just what the Reds needed to stay alive without Votto. By putting up great stats–and subsequently helping out his team– Frazier definitely deserves to be considered for National League Rookie of the Year.

Now, moving on to Bryce Harper, who’s only been in the big leagues for 5 months, but has been in the media’s eye for what seems like forever. Coming up at the mere age of 19, Harper was on everyone’s Rookie of the Year radar since his first at-bat on April 28th; and the stats Harper was able to produce since, only add to his case.

Hitting for a .270 average, with 22 home runs and 59 RBI’s, Harper put up stats that are almost unheard of for someone of his age. Finishing just 2 home runs shy of the record for most home runs by a teenager–24 being the current record, held by Tony Conigliaro–Harper certainly turned many a head during this his rookie season.

One thing I feel keeps tracing back down to Harper is his age–being one of the main reasons people look at Harper with a twinkle in their eyes that’s not there with Frazier. But I don’t feel age should be a factor when voting for ROY. If Harper was, say, a 21 year old rookie, would people be putting him on such a high pedestal? Probably not.

But that doesn’t change the fact that Harper sent the jaws of onlookers (teamates and fans alike) sailing to the ground everytime he did something impressive during the season–which seemed to be every other night. Which is why he’s got a great chance at winning the National League Rookie of the Year.

Both Harper and Frazier are two great candidates, but neither is my pick for NL ROY. (Bet you didn’t see that coming.) No, I’m going with a guy that flew completely under the radar, and yet, put up better stats than both Harper and Frazier. That player being Wilin Rosario.

Some of you might be thinking to yourselfs, “Wilin who?!”; and that wouldn’t be entirely your fault. Rosario hasn’t received the media attention that Todd Frazier and hyped up phenom Bryce Harper have received–partly due to the fact that both Harper and Frazier played on winning teams, while Rosario did not. (Rosario was stuck on a Colorado Rockies team that finished the year last in their division, with a record of 64-98.)

Now, before you go calling me crazy for saying that Rosario deserves the ROY more than any other player in the league, take a second to look at the stats of Rosario and you’ll see what an incredible rookie season he was able to string together:

The one thing that really jumps out at me is the fact that Wilin Rosario was able to smack 6 more home runs than Bryce Harper–as well as 12 more RBI’s–in 137 fewer at-bats. And taking a look at Todd Frazier, it’s more of the same; as Rosario blasted 9 more home runs and 4 more RBI’s in 28 fewer at-bats. Yet all the media can seem to talk about is Harper; with the occasional mention of Frazier. How about giving Wilin Rosario some air time? He deserves to be mentioned in the conversation.

Wilin Rosario led all National League rookies in home runs, RBI’s and slugging percentage, and nevertheless probably won’t receive the votes needed to win the award. But that doesn’t change the way I feel about Rosario’s incredible season.

Which is why Wilin Rosario is my pick for the 2012 National League Rookie of the Year.

As stated, this was the final awards related blog entry I plan to post until the winners are announced next month. Here’s a quick recap of my pick for each award:

American League M.V.P.: Mike Trout

National League M.V.P.: Ryan Braun

American League Cy Young: Jered Weaver

National League Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw

American League Rookie of the Year: Mike Trout

National League Rookie of the Year: Wilin Rosario

Even if you don’t agree with any of my picks, I appreciate you taking the time to read what I had to say over the past week. Whether you’re a frequent reader, or just happened to stumble across this post through a Google search, I appreciate you all the same.